Psalm 34-A life overflowing with praise

 

A gardener had been especially careful in tending one particular rose, which was very fair to look at. But when he went one morning to his favorite rosebush, he found that the flower, of which he had taken such care, was gone. He was very upset, for he thought that some bad boy had stolen into the garden and taken away his best flower. He was complaining very bitterly of his loss when someone said,

“The master has been down in the garden this morning, and he has been admiring this rosebush, and he has taken away that fine bud of which you were so proud.” Then the gardener was delighted that he had been able to grow a flower that had attracted his master’s notice. Instead of mourning any longer, he began to rejoice. He said “Why should I complain because you have taken from me what is really your own?”

Psalm 34 is titled “A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed”. The superscription is intended to turn our attention to the historical setting of the psalm . It helps us understand the events surrounding the penning of these words. The events recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10-15 give the context of Psalm 34 and Psalm 56.

1 Samuel 21:10-15 falls in the middle of the time when Saul was trying to kill David. The death of Goliath and the rout of the Philistines (1 Sam. 17) quickly swept David from obscurity to renown as a military hero. The women of Israel sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7). The popularity of David surpassed Saul, making the king extremely jealous. Saul began to look upon David as his rival and eventually he was marked out for death (1 Sam. 18:8-11).

David escaped Saul’s assassination plot, he was lowered from a window by Michal, his wife (1 Sam. 19:10-17). David fled to Nob;  when Ahimelech the priest  saw David alone he was afraid but David lied to him(1Sam. 21:1-2). David requested for bread and a weapon from Ahimelech. He was given some of the consecrated bread and the very sword he had taken from Goliath (I Sam. 21: 3-9).

David’s flight to Nob was costly. Doeg the servants of Saul was there and he reported what he saw to Saul (1 Sam 22: 9-10). Along with eighty-four other priests, Ahimelech was executed at Saul’s command. The men, women, children and cattle of Nob were also slaughtered. David acknowledged to Abiathar, the only son of Ahimelech to survive the massacre at Nob, that he was morally responsible for the slaughter (1 Sam. 22:18-23 ).

David left Judah for Gath, the hometown of Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4, 23). He wished to remain anonymous, but he was recognized and reported to the king (1 Sam. 21:11). David was arrested and put under house arrest (superscription, Psalm 56).  He pondered his situation and realized he was in grave danger (1 Sam.21:12). An ingenious plan then came to his mind; he acted as though he was insane and was expelled from Gath.

David went to the cave at Adullam where many desperate men joined him (1 Sam 22:1-2). He looked back upon these events and came to understand that he had acted out of the fear of man (Ps.56:3-4, 10-11). David came to see his problem as that of fearing man rather than God. It was his dread of man which caused him to deceive others. It was his fear of man that prompted him to flee to Gath.

 Psalm 56 focuses on David’s fears, which prompted him to flee from Judah and to seek to preserve his life by deception. With a renewed trust in God, David now realizes that “mere man” can do nothing against him (Ps.56:4,11) while God is his defense (Ps.56:3-4,9-11). He acknowledges his sin and is forgiven. He wrote Psalm 56 as his confession and vow of trust in God.

Then psalm 34 was penned to praise God for His deliverance in spite of his deception and sin. Psalm 34 must therefore be interpreted in light of the additional revelation of Psalm 56. We need not attempt to excuse David’s sin. He acknowledged his sin and was forgiven. Psalm 34 expresses his renewed trust in God. This joyful psalm seems to have been written from that cave at Adullam and sung in the presence of those distressed men.

Psalm 34 is a beautiful response of praise and instruction. It teaches the principles he had learned through this painful experience. The psalm begins with the words “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together (Ps. 34:1-3).

Given its historical setting, we see David triumphant and relieved at God’s rescue. He may be hiding in a dismal cave, but he is hiding in the Lord. David declares that he will praise the Lord at all times. He is resolved and fixed; Praising God will always be on his lips. Now this would be great of David to say if he were standing in good circumstances but he is running for his life.

This is one of the darkest times in his life. Yet, David says that he will praise the Lord at all times. His “praise shall continually be in my mouth”. It’s only those who know their God very well who can praise him continually and in every situation. They can praise him in and after trials, in bright days of delight and dark nights of fear. They continue to praise because none of these things affects who God is.

 David says “his praise shall continually be in my mouth”; not merely in the heart but in the mouth too. It’s not a silent thing, others will hear about it. He will talk about it and sing about it continually. He says “My soul shall make its boast in the Lord.”  It will not be a mere tongue boasting, the soul is in it. The boasting is meant and felt before it is expressed.

 God deserves blessing with the heart and praise with the mouth; good thoughts in the closet and good words in the world. It’s the duty of believers to relate their experience for the benefit of others. The confident expressions of tried believers are a rich solace to their brethren of less experience. We should talk of the Lord's goodness on purpose that others may be confirmed in their trust in a faithful God.

David say “glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together”. He is basically saying to us, “Look what I went through and I continued to praise the Lord. Should you not be able to always praise God?” We really have no excuse as to why our lips should not always be full of praise to God. Making great the name and the work of God is a noble exercise.

David was often overcome with a sense of grief and despair.  He understood well the tall order that he was committing himself to when he declared he will praise and boast of the Lord continually. It’s easy to sing praises to God when everything is going well, but in the night time of our lives, it can be challenging.  Yet true praise born and nurtured in the night time of our lives magnifies God!    

If we are to praise the Lord at all times, then praise must be important. Praise sanctifies our lives; a mouthful of God's praise is sweet, purifying and perfuming! If we continually praise God, the bitterness of daily affliction would be swallowed up in joy. If our mouths are filled with praises to God, then we have little opportunity to sin with our tongues.

God has emotions, what we do or fail to do either bring him pleasure or grieve him. God delights in our adoring recognition of His goodness and He is saddened when we serve our own selfish interests (Prov. 11:20). The scope for praise and boasting in God is limitless! His  wonderful attributes, his mercies that are new every morning, his unfailing faithfulness, his promises that are “yes and amen” and  many other things; we may shout  about them as we please.

From the human perspective David had nothing much to boast of but much to lament over as he was writing this psalm. He was in deep trouble; King Saul was looking for him to kill him. And yet he declared that nothing shall stop him of his boast in God so long as he lives. Jesus sang before He went to Calvary (Matt. 26:30). Paul and Silas praised the Lord in prison when their bodies hurt (Acts 16:25).

Anybody can praise the Lord when things are going well. But it's during the "furnace experiences" that praise really magnifies the Lord. Praise will strengthen faith and turn trials into blessing. Therefore let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name (Heb. 13:15). Is praising God part of your Christian experience? Praise Him always, for praise is a necessary part of the life of faith.